Notable alumni
Academia, science and technology
- Vint Cerf, computer scientist, one of the "fathers of the Internet" [1]
- Walt Cunningham, astronaut [2]
- John McCarthy (1927–2011), computer technology, "father of artificial intelligence" [3]
- Glenn T. Seaborg, nuclear chemistry, Nobel Laureate [2] [4]
Arts and literature
- Ray Bradbury, author [5]
- Helen Gurley Brown, author, publisher, and businesswoman who founded Cosmopolitan magazine [6]
- James Ellroy, writer [7]
- Craig Ellwood (1922–1992), architect [8]
- Murray Fromson, CBS News correspondent and USC professor[ citation needed ]
- Edith Head (1897–1981), Academy Award-winning costume designer
- Karl Hubenthal (1917–1998), cartoonist
- Adela Rogers St. Johns (1894–1988), journalist, novelist, and screenwriter
- Jack Smith (1916–1996), columnist, journalist [9]
- Irving Stone, writer
Film, television, and theatre
- Byron Allen, talk show host [10]
- Carol Burnett, comedian
- Adam Carolla, comedian [11]
- Richard Crenna (1926–2003), actor [12]
- Leonardo DiCaprio, actor [13]
- Micky Dolenz, actor/musician/drummer of The Monkees [14]
- Nanette Fabray, actor
- Mike Frankovich (1909–1992), film producer [15]
- Joel Grey née Joel David Katz (1950), singer and actor [16]
- Rita Hayworth née Margarita Carmen Cansino, actress [17]
- Carole Lombard, actress [18]
- Quinn Martin, producer [19]
- Ricardo Montalbán (1920–2009), actor [2]
- David Nelson, actor
- Ricky Nelson, actor
- Anthony Quinn (1915–2001), actor[ citation needed ]
- Robert Redford, actor [2]
- Mort Sahl, humorist [12]
- Tom Selleck, actor [20]
- Coy Watson, Jr. (1912–2009), child actor, Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Watson Family [15]
- Delmar Watson (1926–2008), actor, photo-journalist, Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Watson Family [21]
- Harry R. Watson (1921–2001), actor, photo-journalist, Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Watson Family [22] [23]
- Jack Webb (1920–1982), producer, director, actor [12] [24]
- Robert Young, actor [2]
- Regina King, actress, director, Academy Award winner
Music
- Steven Adler, musician, drummer (Guns N' Roses) [25]
- Herb Alpert, musician, music industry executive [26]
- Michael "Flea" Balzary, musician, bassist, trumpet player (Red Hot Chili Peppers) [26]
- Odetta Holmes (1930–2008), folk singer, activist [27]
- Stan Kenton (1911–1979), pianist, composer, and arranger [28]
- Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (1933–2011), lyricist of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller [29]
- Phil Spector, record producer [30]
- Mike Stoller, music of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller [29]
- Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor, pianist and composer
- O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson, rapper, director, actor, producer, and founder of the Big Three Basketball league
- Roger Wagner, choral musician, administrator and educator
Athletics
- Garret Anderson, former MLB player with the Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers
- Gilbert Arenas, professional basketball player, NBA All-Star with Washington Wizards [31]
- Ron Botchan, NFL official [32]
- Anthony Davis, USC star running back and later pro football player in the NFL and Canadian Football leagues
- Oscar De La Hoya, former world champion and gold medal-winning boxer and founder of Golden Boy Promotions [33]
- Don Drysdale, (1936–1993) National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher [34]
- Jordan Farmar, NBA basketball player [35]
- Jeff Fisher, former NFL player and head coach
- Gail Goodrich, basketball player in the NBA, attended UCLA [36]
- Luis (Lou) Gomez, MLB player [15]
- Mike Haynes, NFL Hall of Famer
- Robert Lyles, NFL player [37]
- Gary Matthews, former Major League Baseball player [38]
- Dick Moje, National Football League [39]
- Jim E. Mora, football coach
- Eddie Murray, Baseball Hall of Famer
- Bobby Riggs (1918–1995), tennis player
- Charles White, football player, Heisman Trophy winner [40]
- Ozzie Smith, Baseball Hall of Famer
- Mal Whitfield, athlete [41]
Medicine
- David Ho, AIDS researcher, physician and Time magazine's 1996 Man of the Year [42]
- Sammy Lee, MD, Olympic gold medalist in diving [2]
- Norman Topping (1908–1997), MD, president of the University of Southern California [2]
Business and law
- Lee Baca, Sheriff of Los Angeles County, 1998–2014 [43]
- Warren Christopher, U.S. Secretary of State
- Jimmy Doolittle, aviation pioneer
- Daryl F. Gates, Los Angeles Police Chief, 1978 to 1992 [44]
- Carlos R. Moreno, California Supreme Court Justice (Cl. of 1966) [45]
- Dorothy Wright Nelson, United States federal judge [2]
- Harry Pregerson, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [2]
- Manuel Lawrence Real, a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California [2]
- Henry Samueli, co-founder of Broadcom [46]
Politics and Government
- Howard Berman, Former U.S. Representative [47]
- Tom Bradley (1917–1998), Mayor of Los Angeles [48]
- Ralph Bunche, educator, UN mediator on Palestine and Nobel Peace Prize Winner [49]
- Vickie Castro, Activist and member of the LAUSD School Board [50]
- James Charles Corman (1920–2000), Congressman [51]
- Ron Downing, City Manager; UCLA and Harvard University
- Kenneth Hahn (1920–1997), member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
- Jane L. Harman, U.S. House of Representatives [52]
- Augustus F. Hawkins, U.S. House of Representatives from California's 21st and 29th district from 1963–1991; California assembly from 1935–1963 [53]
- Jack Kemp, politician and professional football player [54]
- Glenard P. Lipscomb (1915–1970), Congressman [15]
- Howard McKeon, U.S. House of Representatives from the 25th District (1993–2015)( [55]
- Louis R. Nowell (1915–2000), Los Angeles City Council member, 1963–77 [56]
- Edward R. Roybal, (1917–2005) member of the U.S. House of Representatives(1963–93) [57]
- Vincent Thomas (1907–1980), California Assemblyman
- Antonio Villaraigosa, 41st Mayor of Los Angeles [58]
Miscellaneous
- Patrick Argüello (1943–1970), US-Nicaraguan national killed in the attempted hijack of an El Al flight, as carried out by the PFLP [59]
- Al Michaels, Television sportscaster